NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti Comparison

The benchmark data places the NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti in different performance tiers. The A100 is a server-focused accelerator, while the RTX 3090 Ti is a consumer flagship. The data shows a decisive win for the A100 in the single shared benchmark, though the two cards have distinct strengths based on their architecture and feature sets. The A100 achieves a Geekbench OpenCL score of 207,124, while the RTX 3090 Ti scores 174,441. This represents an 18.7% advantage for the A100, placing it in the 99th percentile of all GPUs compared to the RTX 3090 Ti's 95th percentile. The following analysis breaks down the performance, architecture, and specification differences between these two Ampere-generation cards.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark in the data is Geekbench OpenCL, and the result is one-sided. The NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB delivers a score of 207,124, which is 18.7% higher than the 174,441 scored by the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti. This is a substantial margin, indicating that the A100's compute-oriented design translates into significantly better raw throughput in this particular workload. The A100's win is even more notable when considering that the RTX 3090 Ti has a higher base clock of 1560 MHz and a higher boost clock of 1860 MHz, compared to the A100's 1065 MHz base and 1410 MHz boost. Despite the clock speed disadvantage, the A100 pulls ahead in OpenCL performance.

The A100's lead in this benchmark is consistent with its position among its rivals. It sits 5.7% above the NVIDIA RTX 6000D and 6.5% above the NVIDIA Tesla V100S PCIe 32 GB. Conversely, it trails the AMD Radeon PRO W7900D by 5.8% and the NVIDIA PG506-232 by 8%. The RTX 3090 Ti, on the other hand, is much closer to its nearest competitors, being just 0.7% ahead of the NVIDIA L4 and 2.4% behind the NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation. This suggests that the RTX 3090 Ti operates in a more crowded performance band, whereas the A100 occupies a higher tier of compute performance.

The data shows a single win for the A100 and zero for the RTX 3090 Ti in head-to-head tests. However, the RTX 3090 Ti has additional benchmark scores that the A100 lacks, specifically in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 (5,741) and Geekbench Vulkan (215,633). These results cannot be directly compared, but they highlight the RTX 3090 Ti's strengths in graphics-oriented APIs. The Vulkan score of 215,633 is notably higher than the A100's OpenCL score, but again, these are different tests measuring different capabilities. The A100 has no display outputs and is not designed for graphics rendering, so the absence of DirectX, Vulkan, or OpenGL API support in its data is expected.

Architecture Differences

Both cards are built on NVIDIA's Ampere architecture, but they are fundamentally different implementations. The A100 uses the GA100 chip, fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC, while the RTX 3090 Ti uses the GA102 chip, fabricated on an 8 nm process at Samsung. This process difference is significant, as the 7 nm node allows for a much higher transistor density. The A100 packs 54,200 million transistors into a die size of 826 mm², resulting in a density of 65.6M transistors per mm². In contrast, the RTX 3090 Ti has 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die, yielding a density of 45.1M per mm². This means the A100 has nearly double the transistor count, which directly contributes to its higher compute throughput.

Memory architecture is another major divider. The A100 uses 80 GB of HBM2e memory with a 5120-bit bus, providing a massive 1.94 TB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 3090 Ti uses 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s. The A100's memory bandwidth is nearly twice that of the RTX 3090 Ti, which is crucial for data-intensive server workloads. The memory clock also differs: the A100 runs at 1512 MHz (3 Gbps effective), while the RTX 3090 Ti runs at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). The higher effective data rate of the GDDR6X does not compensate for the much wider bus on the A100.

Compute unit counts paint a complex picture. The A100 has 6,912 shading units, 432 TMUs, and 160 ROPs, while the RTX 3090 Ti has 10,752 shading units, 336 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. The RTX 3090 Ti has over 55% more shading units, yet the A100 still wins the OpenCL test. This is explained by the A100's tensor core configuration: it has 432 tensor cores, compared to 336 on the RTX 3090 Ti. The RTX 3090 Ti also has 84 RT cores, which the A100 lacks entirely. The FP32 compute figures are revealing: the RTX 3090 Ti achieves 40.00 TFLOPS, while the A100 achieves 19.49 TFLOPS. However, the A100's FP16 performance is 77.97 TFLOPS (4:1 ratio), while the RTX 3090 Ti's FP16 is 40.00 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio). This indicates the A100 is heavily optimized for mixed-precision AI workloads, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti is more balanced for standard graphics rendering.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB has a bandwidth of 1.94 TB/s, which is nearly double the 1.01 TB/s of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti. This is due to the A100's HBM2e memory on a 5120-bit bus versus the RTX 3090 Ti's GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus.

Q: Does the RTX 3090 Ti support real-time ray tracing?

A: Yes, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti includes 84 RT cores specifically for ray tracing. The NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB has no RT cores listed in the data, making it unsuitable for such workloads.

Q: What is the difference in FP32 compute performance?

A: The RTX 3090 Ti delivers 40.00 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is more than double the A100's 19.49 TFLOPS. However, the A100's FP16 performance of 77.97 TFLOPS is nearly double the RTX 3090 Ti's 40.00 TFLOPS.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor count?

A: The A100 has 54,200 million transistors on its GA100 chip, while the RTX 3090 Ti has 28,300 million on its GA102 chip. The A100's 7 nm TSMC process allows for a density of 65.6M per mm², compared to 45.1M per mm² for the RTX 3090 Ti on Samsung's 8 nm node.

Q: What are the power connector requirements?

A: The A100 uses an 8-pin EPS connector with a 300 W TDP and a suggested 700 W PSU. The RTX 3090 Ti uses a single 16-pin connector, has a 450 W TDP, and requires a suggested 850 W PSU.

Q: Which GPU has display outputs?

A: Only the RTX 3090 Ti has display outputs, featuring 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. The A100 has no outputs, reflecting its server-oriented design.

Specification Differences

The following table highlights the key differences between the two cards, excluding identical fields like manufacturer (NVIDIA) and architecture (Ampere):

| Specification | NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti |

|---|---|---|

| Chip | GA100 | GA102 |

| Generation | Server Ampere (Axx) | GeForce 30 |

| Process Node | 7 nm (TSMC) | 8 nm (Samsung) |

| Transistors | 54,200 million | 28,300 million |

| Die Size | 826 mm² | 628 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 65.6M / mm² | 45.1M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1065 MHz | 1560 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1410 MHz | 1860 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1512 MHz (3 Gbps effective) | 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 80 GB HBM2e | 24 GB GDDR6X |

| Memory Bus | 5120 bit | 384 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 1.94 TB/s | 1.01 TB/s |

| Shading Units | 6,912 | 10,752 |

| TMUs | 432 | 336 |

| ROPs | 160 | 112 |

| RT Cores | None | 84 |

| Tensor Cores | 432 | 336 |

| Pixel Rate | 225.6 GPixel/s | 208.3 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 609.1 GTexel/s | 625.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 19.49 TFLOPS | 40.00 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 77.97 TFLOPS (4:1) | 40.00 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 300 W | 450 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | Triple-slot |

| Power Connectors | 8-pin EPS | 1x 16-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 700 W | 850 W |

| Display Outputs | No outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |

| DirectX | Not listed | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| OpenGL | Not listed | 4.6 |

| Vulkan | Not listed | 1.4 |

| Dimensions | 267 mm L, 111 mm H | 336 mm L, 140 mm H, 61 mm W |

| Release Date | 2021-06-27 | 2022-01-26 |

| Predecessor | Tesla Turing | GeForce 20 |

| Successor | Server Ada | GeForce 40 |

| Launch MSRP | Not listed | 1,999 USD |

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB wins in compute throughput for OpenCL workloads, as evidenced by its 18.7% higher Geekbench score. Its advantages lie in memory capacity (80 GB vs 24 GB) and bandwidth (1.94 TB/s vs 1.01 TB/s), both critical for large dataset processing. The A100 also has significantly higher FP16 performance (77.97 TFLOPS vs 40.00 TFLOPS) and more tensor cores (432 vs 336), making it the clear choice for AI training and inference tasks that rely on mixed-precision arithmetic. Its lower TDP of 300 W versus 450 W is a practical advantage in dense server environments, and its dual-slot design is more compact than the RTX 3090 Ti's triple-slot footprint.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti wins on raw FP32 performance, delivering 40.00 TFLOPS compared to the A100's 19.49 TFLOPS. It also has more shading units (10,752 vs 6,912), which contributes to its graphics rendering capabilities. The RTX 3090 Ti's 84 RT cores enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing, a feature entirely absent from the A100. Its display outputs (1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a) and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 make it a functional graphics card for gaming and workstation visualization. The RTX 3090 Ti also has higher base and boost clocks, and its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory, while smaller, is still substantial for most consumer and prosumer tasks.

The Verdict

The data directs different buyers to each card. The NVIDIA A100 PCIe 80 GB is the pick for server and data center deployments where compute density and memory bandwidth are paramount. Its 18.7% OpenCL lead over the RTX 3090 Ti, combined with double the memory bandwidth and more than triple the memory capacity, makes it superior for large-scale AI, scientific computing, and database workloads. Its higher tensor core count and FP16 throughput reinforce this positioning. The A100's lack of display outputs and graphics APIs is irrelevant in a headless server context, and its lower power draw is a tangible benefit.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti is the choice for users needing graphics output and rendering features. Its higher FP32 performance, ray tracing cores, and full API support make it a versatile card for content creation, 3D visualization, and high-end gaming. The 40.00 TFLOPS FP32 figure is more than double the A100's, indicating superior performance in traditional single-precision workloads. While it scores lower in the OpenCL benchmark, its additional 3DMark and Vulkan scores suggest strengths in graphics-specific tests. For an individual or workstation user who needs a card that can both render and compute, the RTX 3090 Ti is the data-backed recommendation. The A100 is the compute specialist; the RTX 3090 Ti is the generalist with graphics capabilities.